


Guess Who?

by CorvusCorvidae



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Clarke doesn't realise how stupid she's being, F/F, Lexa is just trying to get through college, safe to say she'll learn her lesson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 18:18:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8024155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvusCorvidae/pseuds/CorvusCorvidae
Summary: Youtube star and up-and-coming actress, Clarke Griffin, decides to play a prank on one unsuspecting student at Polis University. 
It does not go as planned. 
One-Shot.





	Guess Who?

**Author's Note:**

> This originally was a glee one-shot, but I’ve rewritten it and reworked the story for Clexa. Would love to know your thoughts, have a few of these planned, but if it doesn't work, don't want to waste time on it. Thanks!

Typically, this close to the end of the semester, the campus was relatively quiet late at night. Most students had in fact gone home for the holidays, and activities and clubs had been put on hold. There normally wouldn't be a reason for the students to be out and about.  
The only difference tonight was the guest lecturer, Clarke Griffin, who had been invited to give a talk on new media, the rise of YouTube stars, and her break into mainstream, with her rise and prominence on the new hit TV show ‘Grounders’.

The lecture itself was to be an intimate encounter, with tales of Clarke’s success, failures, and the basics of what to post and when to put the phone away. Despite not knowing what the audience had thought, Clarke was pretty convinced she’d done a good job.

Everyone seemed to enjoy it, even if she got off topic, sharing stories of after parties, and some of her worst videos which she looks back on and cringes. Surely that just added to the experience, showed she was still like every one of them, with her own screwups and regrets.

Whatever, with work out of the way, it was time to play.

Polis University was the last college on the lecture tour before Clarke was to fly back home; shooting for Grounders season two kicked off in the next week, and she had to get back in the swing of things. Given that tonight’s lecture was her last, Clarke wanted to make the most of the evening ahead. God only knew how long it would be before she had another chance to mess with unsuspecting college students.

That’s how she found herself hiding in a bush, kneeling down next to her two friends, with her eyes glued to the empty courtyard in front of them. They were waiting, patiently waiting, for their next victim.

They weren’t about to slaughter someone, simply play a little game on them. They’d done it at every college they'd attended on the tour. It was almost like a ritual now, a rite of passage for them, or whatever. Thankfully, no one had blabbed about their nightly activities, and the ones that had probably hadn’t been believed. It was the perfect plan.

And it was going to make for one brilliant upload video when it was all over.

Clarke, of course, had been sending regular updates to her channel while travelling, but she’d been keeping this little part of her trip a secret.

Focusing back on the courtyard before her, just so she didn’t miss an oncoming student, Clarke tried to listen for the sound of footsteps. She couldn’t hear anything, however, but the incessant chatter of her two friends next to her.

“Why are we not in a bar right now?” Octavia moaned, crouching down further, rubbing her hands together. “I know it’s a tradition, but come on, we need better ones. Like drinking. In a bar. With booze.”

“Seriously, shut up, you’ll get your booze, let us just…” Clarke pointed back out to the courtyard, and then glanced at her watch. It was getting cold, and it was getting late, and there was no way Octavia was going to last much longer.

But she wasn’t the worst.

“No one is around,” Raven grumbled. “Move you ass, Blake, you’re crowding me.” She gave Octavia a shove, pushing her further into the bush, and Octavia spun to shove her back.

“Don’t even start, the two of you,” Clarke warned, shooting them a glare.

“She shoved me,” Octavia cried back, as if that explained everything.

“ _She shoved me_ ,” Raven sassed, and Clarke was regretting them being there now.

While they descended into bickering and acting like four year olds, Clarke turned her eyes back to the courtyard, and the

“Wait, wait, fucking shut your mouths, someone is coming,” Clarke barked, shoving both of them to get their attention.

There were the sounds of footsteps, somewhere, but Clarke didn’t know what direction the person was coming from. She looked left and right, up and down the courtyard, and failed to see anyone.

“Should we be worried about breaking any laws?” Raven asked, thinking aloud. “What if someone calls campus security?”

“Since when could we not take campus security?” Octavia replied, raising her eyebrows if that answered everything.

“It really worries me that you’d want to try and _take_ campus security.” Please.

“Fight me,” Octavia shot back, and Clarke was going to strangle both of them. But then she remembered why she needed them.

“Get the camera ready!”

There, at the end of the courtyard, walking through the archway, was a girl. Her head was down, looking at the ground before her, and her arm was holding tight to the bag she had over one shoulder. She was dressed sensibly for the cooler weather, unlike the three of them, and she seemed to be off in her own little world.

It was the first student they’d seen all night, and there was no way Clarke was going to miss this opportunity. Plus, she was cold, she was beginning to agree with Octavia about getting a better tradition, one with booze, and the sooner they got this over and done with, the sooner that could become reality.

“Go, go, Griffin, don’t hang about,” Raven groaned, pushing her a little, trying to ‘help’ her out of the bush.

“You touch me again-”

“Your dreams will come true?” Raven smirked, batting her eyelashes and doing her best ‘come hither’ look.

“Cocky shit.”

With that, Clarke rolled her eyes and tried not to rustle the bush too much as she snuck out from it; leaving behind their laughter.

Eyes on the prize, Clarke watched as the girl walked past where they were, giving her ample time to catch up. Sneaking out, directly into the courtyard, Clarke picked up her pace, closing the distance between the two of them.

Only, the girl was now picking up her pace with each stride.

That had Clarke practically jogging behind her, as silently as she could. And it was working, because the gap was closing, and Clarke couldn’t help but smile. Adrenaline was pumping through her system, she was so ready for this. It always gave her some kind of natural high, and she loved the reactions.

Surprise and shock were usually first, and then recognition and laughter, where Clarke would ensure they were in good spirits. She refused to take pictures, lest they post them online, but asked if they would be okay being apart of her video, and when to expect it posted. All eleven so far had gone off without a hitch.

Halting abruptly before her, the girl stopped in the middle of the courtyard. She was standing completely still, and Clarke briefly wondered why she had done that. It didn't matter though, that thought fleeting, as the girl had given her the perfect opportunity to strike.  
"Guess who?!" she chimed, reaching up to put her hands on the girl’s shoulders, her long curly hair being slightly in the way.

Unfortunately, Clarke didn’t get to follow through with the rest of the prank because she was suddenly knocked senseless.

“Oh fuck!” she cried, grabbing at her face, her nose and cheekbone throbbing, and there was definitely blood, if the taste in her mouth was anything to go by. Fucking hell. Fuck fuck fuck.

One second, she had been standing up, the next someone had smashed her face and her body was slamming into the concrete below. Lying on her back, staring up at the sky, Clarke whimpered and whined as she clutched her face and blinked back tears. Her face was on fire.

“Holy shit!” Raven yelled, and Octavia looked on in shock, not quite believing what they’d just seen.

Clarke had been standing behind the girl, hands at the ready, when she had turned, quick as lightning, slamming the palm of her hand into Clarke’s face. It was effortlessly followed by her hooking her boot behind Clarke’s ankle, and usurping her feet to take her to the ground.

“Hey, what the fuck?! Clarke, are you okay?!” Octavia finally shouted, her brain catching up with what had just occurred, and she scrambled from the bush, camera in hand.

With Octavia firing out into the courtyard, Clarke could only watch as the tension rose.

The girl was suddenly on alert again, spinning round to take on Octavia, too, when Clarke began waving her hands, seeing the look of fear in the girl’s eyes.

“We’re not trying to hurt you,” she rasped, trying to sit up a little, only to be pushed back down by the girl’s boot. Groaning on impact, Clarke thought it better to just not move at all. It seemed safer. Less injuries would be gained that way.

“What the hell is going on?” the girl spat, glaring at the two of them.

“It was a prank, that’s all,” Octavia fired back, not happy at all with the girl’s boot still on Clarke.

“A prank? Your friend just tried to attack me!”

“I wasn’t attacking you,” Clarke mumbled, wincing from the pain. But then, one plus one equals two, and from the girl’s perspective, she totally got how that must of looked. Clarke had all but run out of a bush, chased her, and then tried to grab her.

Fucking hell.

How come no one else had reacted this way?

How come no one else had told her she was being a giant ass playing this prank on unsuspecting people?

“She wasn’t attacking you,” Octavia repeated, trying to keep a level head. “We were… we were just filming a stupid video, and shit, okay, I know this looks bad. We didn’t mean to scare you.” It was the best she could do, given she still didn’t like the girl’s boot on holding Clarke down.

“Filming a stupid video?” the girl repeated, and Octavia gave another nod.

“For YouTube.” She needed to sort this mess out, and check Clarke over. She was still on the ground bleeding, her eyes shut and her hands doing a piss poor job stopping the blood flow. This really was the worst fucking tradition ever. They should have just gone to a bar to get fucked up.

“For YouTube? What, do you assholes get your kicks scaring defenceless girls in the middle of the night and sharing it with the world? What the fuck is wrong with you? I should call the cops!” Girl was still pissed, eyes ablaze.

“Look, there is no need to call the cops-” Octavia began, knowing they’d all be up shit creek if the girl did.

“And you really aren’t defenceless,” Clarke mumbled, letting out a pathetic whine at the end of her sentence. So much pain. So so much pain.

It was at that point Raven finally graced them with her presence, having stayed back when the girl looked like she was going to kick Octavia’s ass, too. But as soon as she mentioned the cops, Raven needed to get involved.

“We can resolve this without involving the authorities. It's all just one big misunderstanding," Raven said, approaching slowly, hands up to show she wasn’t going to do anything.

“A misunderstanding? She attacked me!" 

"Actually, she didn't. She spoke to you, went to touch you on the shoulder at most, and then you went Jackie Chan on her ass. She didn't actually touch you, she was close, but she didn't…thank fuck."

"So she's the victim?" The girl was looking more frantic by the minute, completely unimpressed with the three idiots before her. What the fuck were they playing at?

"No, that's not what we're saying at all!" Octavia fired in, not wanting this to escalate again. "Is it, Raven?" 

Shooting Raven a harsh look, Octavia waited for her reply.

"Yeah, no, I'm not saying that at all. We were fucking about and we scared you, we're sorry. It was fucking stupid, but she's the one lying on the ground with blood all over her face. So can we just take a moment to all chill the fuck out and let us check her over?" That seemed to spring some sense back to them.

As if realising that she still had her foot on Clarke's shoulder and neck, pinning her down, the girl stepped back abruptly and ran her hands through her hair. Octavia knelt down first, pulling Clarke into a sitting position before Raven knelt down next to them to assess the damage.

"Fuck, girl's got skills, Clarke," Raven muttered before smirking at the mess. “I’m actually really impressed.”

“Don’t be an ass,” Octavia barked, and then winced as she took in Clarke’s face.

“Fuck, that can’t be good,” Clarke whined, before trying to open her jaw wide and scrunch her nose. Both resulted in cries of pain, and she felt the tears stinging her eyes. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. “Does my nose look broken? I’m fucked next week if I have a broken nose for filming.”

“Maybe they’ll write it into the script?” Octavia tried, knowing that they might have no option but to.

“Please don’t say it’s broken,” Clarke repeated, her face thumping with pain.

"I can’t tell. We’ll need to get you checked over.” Fantastic. Just what she needed.

Before she could even think about that, however, she needed to make sure this situation was resolved.

Clarke clamoured to her feet, with the assistance of Octavia, and the three of them turned to see the girl they'd inadvertently attacked. She was sitting on the bench at the edge of the courtyard, head in her hands, taking deep breaths.

"I feel so guilty right now. She was terrified,” Clarke said, still wincing as she spoke, wanting to step closer and check on her.

“We fucked up. We really fucked up.”

“Let’s not dwell on it, let’s just fix it,” Raven said, nodding, trying to ignore her guilt.

“How the hell do we fix it?”

“Fuck if I know, but we have to do something. She cannot call the cops.” That was true. If she called the cops, they would all be in trouble.

“If she wants to, let her,” Clarke began, shrugging. “This was stupid, and we might need to answer for it.” Octavia and Raven shared a look, both thinking Clarke was talking out of her ass.

“Why don’t you go see how she is? That might help us out,” Octavia added, looking to Raven for back up on that.

“I’m going to, but not for us, because I want to make sure she’s actually okay.” With that, Clarke headed over to where the girl was sitting.

She approached, cautiously, to ensure she didn’t take her by surprise again, and to be certain she knew Clarke was coming, she cleared her throat.

That caught the girl’s attention, and she looked up, cringing when she saw Clarke’s face.

“Hey,” Clarke began, biting her lip as she took another step forward. “Can I sit?”

Looking to the space on the bench next to her, the girl nodded and scooted over, allowing Clarke to come and take a seat. She really needed to apologise, and not just because this was possibly damaging to her career. She genuinely felt sick to her stomach for causing that reaction.

Everyone else they'd pranked had been nervous at first but then laughed and joked with her. Granted, some of them shot her very confused looks when she skipped off back into the bushes, but most of them thought it was brilliant. However, she should really have thought ahead and realised how stupid the whole thing was.

Being creepy and scaring folk from the bushes was one thing, going up to someone in the dead of night while they walked alone was just asking for trouble. She'd asked and she'd received, that was for sure, as the blood on her face and coat was proof.

"Here," the girl said, pulling wipes out of her bag and handing them to her.

Taking one out the packet, she made quick work of wiping her face, cringing at the blood still running, and tried to keep as much of it contained to her person as possible. No one wanted to wake up tomorrow and see blood dripped all over their courtyard. That would hardly be a nice parting gift to leave Polis Uni.

"I'm sorry," Clarke said, turning her body on the bench to look at the girl. "I really am sorry for the distress I caused you, and for scaring you like that. It really wasn’t my intention. I know it probably doesn’t mean anything, but we are sorry, and we certainly won’t be doing this again.”

"What were you going to do?"

"Hmm?" She wasn't sure if she'd just imagined that question or not. Wishful thinking on her part or something.

"You were standing right behind me, what were you going to do?"

"Oh, well I was going to say guess who, which I sort of did say, and then put my hands on your shoulders so you couldn't turn to look. Then I'd wait for your answer and turn you around."

"And this was a prank, how exactly?" Clarke frowned at the confused look being shot her way and floundered. Okay, yes, she was using her celebrity status to prank people, but when you said it like that, it just sounded narcissistic.

"Eh…well, I'm…you know what, never mind. It reflects poorly on my intelligence," she admitted, dropping her eyes.

"You're intelligent?" Smiling softly in response, and then regretting that action as her face felt like it had just been punched again, Clarke nodded.

"Apparently, but you wouldn't know from tonight's actions." That made the girl smile again, and Clarke felt a little better. If she needed to be self-deprecating, then that was easy enough.

A silence then lapsed between the two of them, and Clarke assumed this would be where the other girl left, hoping to escape as soon as possible. That didn't look to be happening, however, as the girl made no move to leave. Maybe she was more affected than initially thought. Maybe she was still in shock. Maybe Clarke should call someone, get the girl to call a friend or something to come and collect her.

"I'm sorry, too," she suddenly said, catching Clarke completely off guard.

"What for?" Like seriously, what the fuck for? She hadn’t done anything.

"Taking you down like that." The girl waved her hand towards Clarke's nose and face, and cringed, shaking her head.

"Oh hell, no, it’s fine. I’m glad you did.” The words were out of Clarke’s mouth before she really appreciated what she was saying. She was glad that the girl had knocked the crap out of her? Really? “You know, you were defending yourself, I could have been some fucking creep. No, seriously, you don’t need to thank me. I should be thanking you, actually, for teaching me never to do that again. So thanks.”

Clarke should have stopped talking while she was ahead; because really, what the fuck was all that? Thank God Octavia and Raven didn’t hear her, cause she’d never hear the end of it.

"You're welcome?" Was there even proper etiquette for a situation like this?

The poor girl looked so confused now, and Clarke wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to leave it on that awkward note.

“Where did you learn self-defence? That was brilliant, the way you took me down like that. Did you take a class?”

"Yeah, some students run a self-defence class on Thursday nights. You should maybe go to one,” the girl suggested.

"Oh…I'm actually not a student." Okay, so it was looking more and more likely that this girl had no idea who she was. Perhaps it was a good thing she was taken out so horribly, otherwise she would have just come over as a snooty celebrity when the girl was baffled by her prank.

"You're just someone who likes to come onto campus and scare the students?" The girl shuffled further down the bench, and Clarke was sure she was calculating how best to flee the scene if need be.

"Well, no. I was holding a lecture over at some building that way-" Clarke said, pointing off in what she was sure was the right direction, though it probably wasn't, "-and I'm really only on the campus for tonight."

"You do this a lot when you hold lectures, scare the students?"

"Actually, yes. Though, I'll never do it again, now." Like she'd said, she had most definitely learnt her lesson.

"I thought you were going to-" she cut off and took a deep breath. "I thought you were going to try and grab me, which is why I put you on the ground like that, but I shouldn't have put my foot on your throat. That was barbaric.” The apology was hanging in the air.

"No, you were defending yourself and are not at fault here. You didn't actually press down on me, and really you were on my shoulder, not my neck. See?"

There was a graze from her boot marring the side of Clarke’s neck, and the girl winced at the sight. Yeah, she definitely hadn't been on Clarke's shoulder, but she wasn't going to argue. Taking a quick scan of the rest of Clarke's injuries, the girl groaned and bit her lip, hard.

"Oh God, it looks like I attacked you."

"You didn't. I know you didn't. You have nothing to worry about." Jesus, this was going all wrong; the girl wasn’t meant to be feeling guilty.

"I'm so s-"

"Don't apologise. Please. None of this was your fault…?" Clarke still didn't know the girl's name, and that felt wrong, given what had just happened.

“Lexa.”

“Yeah, none of this was your fault, Lexa; seriously. Is there anything we can do for you? Can we walk you home? I know we’re not exactly people you trust, given what just happened, but it’s late and dark, and safety in numbers, right?”

Clarke was hoping that she could get the girl somewhere safer. No college campus was completely safe late at night, and given how they had held her up for the last thirty minutes, time was of the essence. It was just shy of midnight and the only light was that of the streetlamps. No wonder Lexa thought she was about to be violently attacked.

"Oh, don't worry. You don't have to do that,” Lexa said, waving her off.

"No, I insist. Come on, it isn’t exactly safe to walk alone at night." Lexa cocked her eyebrow and glanced to Clarke's neck and nose, causing Clarke to laugh. Yeah. Okay. "Alright, maybe you will be safe, because you certainly can kick ass, but I’d feel a lot better knowing you got home safe. So can we walk with you?”

"I'm just going back to my dorm. It's not far,” Lexa said, still shrugging them off.

Clarke wasn’t having it.

"Well, that shouldn't take us long at all. We’ll follow you,”

Without giving Lexa any room to argue, Clarke was up off the bench and walking over to Raven and Octavia. Both looked on, curious to hear what she was going to say; and hiding their wince at Clarke’s face. Even with the blood wiped away, it was definitely swollen and bruised.

“We’re going to take her back to her dorm,” Clarke said, and then turned back to Lexa. “Lexa, this is Raven and Octavia, and I’m Clarke;guys, this is Lexa.” They all acknowledge the other with a nod, and then Clarke moved closer to Lexa again.

“So, what way are we going?”

Lexa eyed the three of them again and pointed ahead, unsure whether to just start walking. She could tell that Clarke wasn't going to take no for an answer when it came to escorting her back to her dorm room. If Lexa wasn't so sure she could take the three of them, she really wouldn't have agreed to them coming with her.

"Alright, let’s get you home,” Clarke grinned, regretting that action, but pleased with the cooperation, and started walking.

Lexa and Clarke walked with a good few feet between them, with Raven and Octavia walking a good bit behind. It wasn’t until the reached one of the crossroads at the end of the courtyard that Clarke needed to look to Lexa for guidance.

"It's this way," she said, nodding her head to right and walking onwards. It eased Clarke’s fears slightly, knowing that Lexa had no problem with them tagging along, and fell in line with her steps.

It was with Clarke beside her, that Lexa glanced sideways and changed taking in her unusual companion for the walk home. Clarke was...well, like no one Lexa had ever encountered before. Then again, she hadn’t had many people sneak out of bushes and grab her on her walk home.

Lexa had put all her self-defence classes to good use, reacted on instinct, and had taken Clarke down in seconds. Yet, Clarke hadn’t run off, hadn’t tried to avoid her problems, but stuck around, insisting on this escort home.

So strange.

Looking again, Lexa bit her lip and winced at the bruising that was already beginning to form on Clarke’s face. She was going to look a mess come tomorrow.

"What is it? Do I still have blood on my face?" Clarke asked, feeling Lexa’s eyes on her.

Blushing at having been caught, Lexa was glad for the cool night's air where she could claim her rosy cheeks came from, and shook her head.

"No, you're good. I was just…the bruising…" she fumbled, not really wanting to lie but unwilling to confess gawking at the girl.

"Is it bad?"

"It will be." It would be really bad.

"Good." Lexa shot her a confused look and waited for further explanation. The girl next to her really was the strangest girl she'd ever met.

"Good?" Clarke could hear the bewilderment in Lexa’s voice and nodded to confirm her answer.

"Look, I jumped out at you, scared you, so I absolutely deserved this. Tomorrow, and every day after until this heals, it’ll be a reminder of what a fucking idiot I was.” 

"It was a prank gone awry, no need to torture yourself over it,” Lexa said, pulling her bag strap further over her shoulder. 

"You were scared and I caused that. I never want to cause anyone harm, but I harmed you." Clarke thought over all the videos she had posted on her channel, all the times she’d insisted that people care about others, use their privilege to help the underprivileged and yet, she’d been acting like an idiot, playing this prank.

"People would argue differently if they were to look at us right now," Lexa said, mashing her lips together.

That make Clarke smile.

"Yes,but my wounds will heal; I could have triggered you, or done worse emotional damage."

"I can assure you, Clarke, I'm not scarred from this incident. I'm confused as to why you thought it was a good idea in the first place, but you gave me a chance to test out my self-defence skills. It seems as though I shouldn't give up going to that class."

"No, definitely don't give it up. You have a talent."

"For kicking people's asses?" There was a small smile playing on Lexa's lips as she asked, and Clarke was relieved to see a more relaxed side present.

"Yep, and let me tell you, that's a good talent to have, Lexa."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep. I know a lot of people, myself included, who would love that talent. But alas, I'm not so fortunate." She shrugged, playing it off.

"But you have others?" Lexa wasn't sure why she was asking, but she couldn't help herself. She was curious, in a strange 'who-is-this-peculiar-girl-who-is-all-smiles-after-I-punched-her-in-the-face?' kind of way.

"Yes, I do have some other talents." Clarke was giving her a coy little smile, shrugging her shoulders as she did so.

"An example being?" Biting her lip, Clarke fought back a smile and cleared her throat. The fact that Lexa didn't know who she was, or hadn't yet clocked who she was, was endearing to her. So often, people knew exactly who she was, what she liked, what she'd done with her life, but there was this beautiful girl who didn't. It was very refreshing.

"I do the odd bit of acting now and then." It was a bit of an understatement, but she didn't feel like bragging, not to this girl.

"Oh yeah? You any good? Will I be seeing you on TV in times to come?" It was a joke, but it very close to the truth, and Clarke found herself smiling along with Lexa.

"Maybe you will," she replied, thinking about how in a couple of months, if all went well, they’d be airing their second season.

"Well, I look forward to it. When I see on TV, I can think back on how fast you hit the ground, and how glad you were to have me take you down like that." Lexa's eyes were sparkling with mirth, and Clarke couldn't help but be captivated by them. She laughed and shook her head.

"Glad was not the right word to use! It slipped out! I couldn't think of anything else!" She was whining, but Lexa didn't seem to mind, and she felt this warmth in her chest and flutter in her stomach from the way Lexa was smiling at her.

"This is me, up here," Lexa suddenly said, her smile faltering slightly. She didn't want to leave Clarke just yet, but it wasn't like she could keep walking past her building.

"Oh," Clarke answered, looking at the building Lexa was pointing at and frowning.

She was disappointed, and not quite ready to walk away just yet. She wanted to stay, to talk more, to actually learn something about the girl who had knocked her on her ass. It was a strange set of circumstances, but she wasn't questioning it.

Together, they headed towards the doors, before Lexa stopped a few feet away, making Clarke pause, too. Neither of them were even aware that Raven and Octavia had held back and were quite a distance behind them. It didn't really matter, because in a moment Lexa would be inside, and Clarke wouldn't.

That's what it came down to. Clarke was visiting Polis Uni, whereas Lexa clearly lived there. Under better circumstances, Clarke might have asked for Lexa's number. But no, she couldn't. That would be awfully wrong of her, given how they met.

After all, true romance does not begin by being punched in the face.

Plus, that was pretty presumptuous of her. True romance, was that what this was? Did that explain the butterflies, the intrigue, the warmth in her chest?

Maybe, but maybe not.

Maybe she was just curious because she had literally been knocked off her feet, and that had never happened before. Maybe she was just interested because Lexa had no idea who she was.

"Thanks for walking me back. You didn't have to, and after what I did to your face, I'm surprised you wanted to."

"Well, I haven't seen the damage for myself, or maybe I would have ditched you back at the scene of the crime." Lexa smiled and dropped her head, closing her eyes as she bit her lip. "No, in all seriousness, I'm glad you let me walk you home. I wanted to make sure you were okay after my idiocy.”

It was sweet of her to care, Lexa noted. Clarke hadn't been concerned about herself throughout this whole ordeal, if it could even be referred to as that, which said a lot. Most people were always thinking of themselves, so it was a nice change from the people she was used to.

Looking at her once more, and trying hard not to focus on the bruising around her eyes and the top of her nose, Lexa hummed and shook her head. There was something familiar about Clarke, but she didn't know what. She would have put it down to having seen her around campus, but Clarke had already ruled that out by explaining why she was there.

"What is it?" Clarke asked curiously. Lexa had been looking at her for the last few seconds without saying anything, and while she normally had no problem with people staring at her, it was a little different when the girl before her didn't know who she was exactly.

"You look really familiar, but I just can't place where from," Lexa confessed, frowning at her.

Clarke tried to hide her smirk and shook her head. No way was she now going to tell her who she was. That would just be cruel, and practically finish off the prank. Who would believe Lexa if she said she managed to beat up Clarke Griffin the night before? No, best she was kept in the dark.

"Oh yeah? I get that a lot," she replied, shrugging. She brushed it off and then gave Lexa a soft smile. "It's been a pleasure meeting you; I'm just sorry about the circumstances surrounding it. Any chance you can forgive me for this?”

She hoped that Lexa would, because she was truly sorry. She wasn't asking to make sure the girl didn't try and press charges or anything like that, she honestly couldn’t care; she just didn’t want Lexa hurting from her actions.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. You obviously know the effect you could have on someone, so just don't do it again and we'll call it even?"

"Absolutely. You have my word." Never again, never ever again.

That brought a smile to Lexa's face and Clarke returned it. She knew it was time to say goodbye, to let Lexa go to bed given how late it was, but she wasn't able to tear herself away just yet.

"I…"

"Do…" They both began at the same time, and then nervously laughed, indicating for the other one to speak. Clarke ended up conceding first and licked her lips before starting over.

"I was just going to say good luck with whatever it is you're studying, and take care of yourself. You kicked my ass, but I would hate for you to be in a position where you would need to kick someone else's." Lexa’s gaze softened at that.

"Thanks, and don't worry, I'll be careful. You do the same." Clarke nodded and pulled her coat tighter around her body, feeling the wind picking up.

“Goodbye, Lexa."

"Bye, Clarke.”

Watching, Lexa gave her a slight wave and turned to access her building. Once she was sure Lexa was in the building safely, Clarke turned back to her friends. The night felt long, as she walked over to them, with sudden fatigue catching up to her, and her face throbbing.

It was worth it, though. Being hit in the face, knocked onto her back, stood on, and embarrassed beyond belief by her actions; all of it was worth it to see those sparkling eyes and that pretty smile aimed her way.

"You okay?" Octavia asked, catching the unusual smile on her lips.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s get going.” There was no point sharing; they wouldn’t get it. They’d think she was off her head, that she’d injured her head, for fuck’s sake. Clarke wasn’t going to give them that ammunition.

She’d already embarrassed herself enough, tonight.

Together, they all headed back to the car. It was time to leave, to go back to the hotel, and then home come morning. Clarke had experienced enough of Polis University for one day.

It certainly wasn’t going to be one she forgot.

*0*0*

Being back in home, to Clarke, was like sleeping in your bed for the first time in months after sleeping in so many others. It was a welcoming hug, a friendly smile, a warm embrace, and everything she needed it to be. But it was short lived, as she was jetting off for shooting, and trying to get back in the groove of things. Her college tours had made her sloppy, but they were most definitely worth it.

Occasionally, she did wonder about Lexa up at Polis Uni, and what she would be up to. But their moment was fleeting, and it was stupid to dwell on it. There were other girls, after all. There were plenty of other girls, in fact. Lexa was a passing ship in the night, to see seen from a distance. They were from two very different worlds, at two very different points in their lives, and no matter how stunning Clarke thought Lexa was, it didn’t resolve those problems.

That's what she had to remind herself, at least, when Clarke found herself standing back on Polis Uni campus one year later.

For some reason, she felt the need to do another college tour and wanted to end it with Polis. It was tradition, or it would be if she ever did another one. Polis Uni was her ending point, it was where she could close the chapter and start a new one.

But standing in the courtyard where she had put an end to their pranking tradition, she felt like something had actually began in Polis. It had started but hadn't been finished, however. There was no ending, as of yet, and she needed there to be one.

She couldn't keep thinking about the gorgeous girl with wicked self-defence skills, nor could she keep thinking about Lexa every time she saw the commercials for her show, with her face plastered throughout. She didn't know the girl, she knew almost nothing about her, but yet the curiosity of 'what could have been' was driving her insane.

So she was back, she had finished her lecture and goddammit if she wasn't going to end her obsession with the prettiest girl she'd ever seen that night. It needed to end.

Taking a deep breath, Clarke closed her eyes and pictured last year's events. She had watched the footage of Lexa kicking her ass countless times, each time growing more impressed, so it wasn't hard for her mind to play out the scene in her head.

This time she wouldn't end up on her ass. This time she wouldn't bleed all over the place. This time there wouldn't be a gorgeous girl causing butterflies to flutter every time she smiled. This time, nothing would happen.

"Guess who?" a voice suddenly whispered behind her, and Clarke froze. What was with this campus and this game?

"Fair warning, last time I played this game, someone got seriously hurt, like blood everywhere hurt, so I would rethink-" she began, ready to warn whatever creep was behind her.

Clarke wasn't going to add that it was her that got seriously hurt last time, or that she still didn't know self-defence. Maybe she needed to look into that.

"Guess who?" the voice asked again, and the familiarity hit Clarke like a bucket of cold water. She knew that voice. Fuck me, she knew that voice.

"Lexa?" Spinning round, she came face to face with the very girl she'd been thinking about. Unable to fight the smile working its way onto her lips, Clarke grinned broadly at her, wanting to close the distance between them instantly and hug the other girl.

There was no way she could actually do that, given their history, they hardly knew each other after all, but yet she still felt that connection.

"We agreed we wouldn't play this game anymore," Clarke teased, playing with her hands to stop them from reaching out.

"No, I distinctly remember saying you couldn't play it anymore," Lexa replied, smiling back at her. God, she was still so beautiful.

"Oh. Well, surely if I can't play then you shouldn't be allowed to either. I mean, what if someone attacks you! I know of one girl, on this very campus, who had her ass kicked trying to whisper those very words you just whispered to me," Clarke joked, a smile toying at her lips.

"Is that right? She got her ass kicked, huh?" Lexa rose her eyebrows in question, and Clarke felt the familiar fluttering in her stomach. Seemed like the butterflies were back.

"Yes, it was terrifying. It could have ruined her career.” Sort of. The writers were understanding. Sort of. Whatever, they fixed it. No one was any the wiser.

"It didn't though, and her career is blooming." Clarke almost blushed with the compliment, letting the silence hang between them. "Hi," Lexa said shyly.

"Hi." Smiling, Clarke took a step closer."I was holding-"

"A lecture? Yeah, I was there." She was?

"You were?"

"I was. You were very good, informative, inspiring," Lexa shrugged, at a loss as to why Clarke Griffin was still talking to her.

"So what, you followed me out the building and thought you'd sneak up on me?" Despite how creepy that sounded, Clarke was pretty endeared that Lexa had sought her out.

"Something like that." Lexa was blushing again, and Clarke's fondness grew.

"How did you know I was lecturing here? I never gave you my full name before."

"You didn't have to. Who doesn't know Clarke Griffin?" Lexa bit her lip and shook her head, almost rolling her eyes at herself.

"Apparently you don't. We spent over an hour talking and you didn't clock it." For that, Clarke was pleased. It had been fun, being just another person, and now she wasn't sure what to think with Lexa knowing.

"That was different, I had just been attacked. I was suffering from the shock." It was a joke, Lexa teased, kicking her foot against the ground as she looked away in mild embarrassment.

"When did you realise?" Clarke wondered, curious as to when the bubble had burst.

"About a week later. My roommate was reading the latest gossip rag and there you were, front and centre, looking like someone had kicked your ass. You ruined my revision notes."

"I did, did I?" That had Clarke interested, a smile playing at her lips.

"Yeah. I spat coffee all over them. Three hours of hard work ruined, just like that."

"Well, I'm terribly sorry to have inconvenienced you." Lexa nodded and crossed her arms, agreeing with her statement.

"You should be," she teased, smirking. It was the smirk that killed her, and Clarke knew that nothing had changed. Lexa was treating her like she had last time, minus the ass kicking, and that made her plough on ahead without thinking about the consequences.

"Maybe…maybe I can make it up to you?" It was a suggestion of something more, that they might move past whatever the hell this was and actually get to know each other. Clarke was desperate, Lexa looked curious.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Apparently I'm mildly successful, and I could help you revise, if that's what you needed."

"I finished this year's exams already," Lexa answered, cocking her eyebrow to see Clarke's next move.

"Oh, pity. Well then, how about we celebrate that fact? Let me take you out." Anything, Clarke would do anything to get the girl to say yes.

"When?"

"Now…Unless you have plans." Fucking hell. She wasn’t good at this. She hadn’t asked anyone out in ages. They normally came onto her. Was she even doing this right?

"Is this another prank? Are your friends going to run out a bush in a minute?" Lexa was teasing her and Clarke rolled her eyes in return.

"No. No prank, and I fucking hope not, as that would be terrifying. Are your friends going to run out a bush and ambush me in a minute?"

"No."

"Thank God, because my defence skills are nowhere near as good as yours. If we're jumped, you'll have to defend me." Lexa laughed like she was joking but Clarke was being deadly serious.

"I think I can do that."

"Good." This time, she didn't hesitate touching Lexa, and she entwined their arms, leading her out of the courtyard. Her action was met by a small smile on Lexa's lips and a slight pink hue on her cheeks.

"Do you have any idea where you're going?" Lexa asked, several minutes later. They were heading in the wrong direction.

"Not a clue," Clarke admitted, unfazed by her lack of knowledge on how to get off campus. Whatever, she'd only been there twice.

"Okay, was just checking." Lexa wasn't fazed by this news at all, and instead smiled a little smile to herself when Clarke wasn't looking. Last time they'd met, she'd wanted to keep walking with her, just walk and talk, getting to know each other. It seemed like she was getting her wish.

Clarke, oblivious to Lexa's actions, was hiding a smile of her own. She had come back to put an end to her curiosity, to move on from her wonderings, and to close that chapter in her life. She had certainly not been expecting this twist of fate.

Biting her lip to contain the beaming smile from breaking free, she felt giddy inside.

Maybe great relationships did begin by being punched in the face. If anyone could make a relationship like that work, it would most certainly be her.

Nodding in thought, she turned back to Lexa and smiled before opening her mouth, cutting the comfortable silence, and rattling off a million questions a minute. She had so much to learn, so much to discover, about the girl on her arm.

There was absolutely no time to waste.

After all, this was where their story began, not where it ended.

*0*0*


End file.
